Ford Figo-based compact sedan - The Aspire

This is a discussion on Ford Figo-based compact sedan - The Aspire within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; Motoroids have put up a comprehensive review of the Figo Aspire as well.
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Petrol refinement at idle is commendable, ...

Motoroids have put up a comprehensive review of the Figo Aspire as well.

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Petrol refinement at idle is commendable, with barely any engine noise filtering in. Ford has worked to keep NVH levels in check and it has paid off.On the move, in sticky urban environs, performance is adequate, with good tractability in lower gears to make decent progress. But up the ante, and the engine starts to lose steam. On the highway, the petrol powered Aspire feels a bit underpowered. The engine commands frequent downshifts to keep itself in its power band, which makes brisk overtaking maneuvers daunting, especially on single carriageways with oncoming traffic. It doesn’t encourage you to push it much in a straight line, with the engine missing that long-legged character deep within. However, we didn’t mind downshifting that much, as the five-speed manual box is butter smooth and a treat to row.The motor screams cleanly till 6,300 rpm where it redlines, but makes a pleasant din. Some significant shove would have been appreciated alongside.

It’s clear that the Ti-VCT has been developed specifically for urban usage rather than fast highway jaunts. However, if driven sedately on the highway, the motor settles into a nice thrum in top gear with the speedometer needle hovering around the lower three digit mark.

Diesel performance is the polar opposite of the petrol engine. The diesel Aspire surges ahead with gusto and has that long legged character that’s sorely missed on the Ti-VCT petrol unit. It also responds better to inputs on the throttle. Low-end performance is relatively brisk upwards of 1600 rpm, but it’s the strong mid-range that the Aspire diesel revels in. Boost comes in clean and early at a low 1750rpm and there is ample power till about 4000rpm. It’s not a very free-revving engine but there is enough of a top- and mid-range poke to indulge oneself. Power delivery is also quite linear, and there is push available in most gears. Bury the throttle in any gear, and the car responds, with hardly a bland spot in the entire power band, unless you chose to do it in 5th gear while doing around 40 km/h. Even in the city, the diesel feels more tractable than the petrol.

Refinement levels are not in the same league as the petrol, with a fair amount of vibrations creeping in through the pedals when pushed hard. Diesel clatter makes its presence felt in the cabin, and when given the beans, there’s a mildly unpleasant boom, but not much to leave one in a spot of bother. Wind and road noise have been impeccably contained in both the variants, with just enough mechanical noises seeping inside the cabin to make motoring enjoyable.

Ford will offer another petrol engine on the Aspire – a bigger, 1.5 liter Ti-VCT unit which will come exclusively mated to a new 6-speed, dual clutch, Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. Power stands at 112 PS @ 4000 rpm, while torque is rated at 136 Nm @ 4250 rpm. We couldn’t lay our hands on one because it wasn’t available during the media drive.

However, things have literally softened in case of the Aspire, where it succumbs to satisfying the masses. Suspension is notably set up to be on the softer side. Though the Aspire handles well, it doesn’t feel as confident and agile round corners as compared to the Fiesta Classic, or even the Figo. Body roll is perceptible in spite of an anti-roll bar up front. To the slightly keener observer, the lighter petrol variant responds better around the corners than the front heavy diesel variant.

Though we didn’t find solace in the way the Aspire handles, it’s mostly because Ford has already set the bar so high when it comes to dynamics. We went ahead looking for the same dynamism in the Aspire, but came away a bit disappointed.

All said and done, the Aspire is still the best handling car in its segment – it just gets a little friendlier for its intended clientèle. The electrically assisted power steering was fine by me, with decent low speed responsiveness and feedback, while weighing up nicely with speed. It also had alacrity to come back to the center, but it would never match the feedback and responsiveness of a hydraulically assisted rack.

Back to the ride, sharp bumps tend to make the Aspire bouncy followed by an immediate floaty feeling as the suspension tries to re-acclimatize itself. That said, Ford has tuned it for its city slicking intents and purposes. Braking is good and confidence inspiring, with the Aspire decelerating without too much unwanted theatrics.

Ford has clearly tuned the Aspire to perform best in urban environs, with its cushy ride and a petrol engine that lacks outright punch, but offers decent tractability is slow traffic. The dynamics are far from typical Ford fare, but friendly enough for the Aspire’s targeted clientèle. Refinement levels have been well contained too. What we have here is then a well rounded, stylish and desirable city car.

The Figo Aspire has started arriving at Ford dealerships, ahead of it's early-August launch.

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One of our friend from Hyderabad has sent us these pictures of the car from a dealership stockyard in its promoted color – maroon!

Figo Aspire is Ford’s first car to be manufactured from their new Sanand plant, which will be followed by its hatchback version within a few months.

The pictures reveal that the dual tone interiors will sport a familiar looking infotainment system with the same design philosophy as seen in the EcoSport and Fiesta. The steering wheel gets shiny black plastic which is a bit different from the usual chrome garnish that manufacturers end up adding.

I have one big concern with most new launches in the market , which is the practically nonexistent protrusion of the rear bumper from the vehicle body/sheet metal. While this may maximize internal space, its also exposing the owner to potentially regular visits to the service center for fixes.

With the Ford Aspire, I think we have a problem at the front as well! To my eyes, it looks like the top of the grill is inline with the bumper and is potentially at much higher risk.

Do Indian cars not need to meet the 4 Mph bumper rule, where the bumper is expected to withstand a collision upto 4 mph?

Like other reviewers, Renuka is also very impressed with the all-round abilities of the 1.5 TDCi. It leaves no room for complaint either in terms of drivability or flat out performance.

As for the 1.2 Ti-VCT, it's very refined and has better low and mid range responses, but needs to be worked to extract performance on the highway. The additional 17 horses and dual variable valve timing don't seem to have had as big an impact as I expected, but the improvement over the earlier state of tune is a welcome thing.

The DCT-equipped 1.5 Ti-VCT wasn't available for the media drive. Ford seem to be saving it for a slightly later introduction, which is a good move in my opinion.

The suspension and steering have been made somewhat more comfort-oriented than other Fords, and while hardcore Ford fans may frown on this, I think it's a wise move on the part of the Blue Oval to appeal to a wider target audience.

The noise insulation levels and brakes of the Aspire have also come in for some praise. Apart from these, the Aspire comes with the best-in-class safety features across variants, pleasing looks, good comfort levels and a decent amount of gizmos & storage space.

I think the Aspire is an extremely capable and impressive all-round package in the segment. If Ford manage to price it right, then they have a super hit on their hands!

Figo Aspire will be my compact sedan of choice.
It looks like a sedan unlike the Dezire or Accent which looks more like an after thought.
Priced right it is definitely going to give a tough competition to the other cars in the segment.

I am wondering if Ford will stop the fiesta classic to give way for Aspire.
I love that sedan as well.

Figo Aspire will be my compact sedan of choice.
It looks like a sedan unlike the Dezire or Accent which looks more like an after thought.
Priced right it is definitely going to give a tough competition to the other cars in the segment.

I am wondering if Ford will stop the fiesta classic to give way for Aspire.
I love that sedan as well.

I guess Ford will have to terminate Classic. Why will someone buy whenever at the same price they are getting so much more in Aspire.

If priced correctly Aspire can be a smashing hit like Ecosport. I hope we don't get to see the ridiculous 1 year waiting periods like at Ecosport launch and Ford maintains a good production capacity for Aspire.

Someone here raised the non existence bumper issue here. I agree wholeheartedly. It's pathetic to see just for the 4m rule safety is compromised by manufacturers. But people will still buy. What choice we have when all manufacturers will follow the same protocol.

I guess Ford will have to terminate Classic. Why will someone buy whenever at the same price they are getting so much more in Aspire.

If priced correctly Aspire can be a smashing hit like Ecosport. I hope we don't get to see the ridiculous 1 year waiting periods like at Ecosport launch and Ford maintains a good production capacity for Aspire.

Someone here raised the non existence bumper issue here. I agree wholeheartedly. It's pathetic to see just for the 4m rule safety is compromised by manufacturers. But people will still buy. What choice we have when all manufacturers will follow the same protocol.

Classic Production is stopped is what I heard last from Ford dealer. They have few white ones left post which it is history.